3Now, go, and you shall smite Amalek, and you shall utterly destroy all that is his, and you shall not have pity on him: and you shall slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.' "

And Saul called… together: An expression of announcing, as though it would say, שאול ויזעק.

and he counted them in Telaim: (According to ‘peshat,’ this is the name of a place, as in Jos. 15:24. Our Rabbis, however, take it as a common noun, meaning ‘with lambs,’ explaining thus:) He told everyone to take a lamb from the King’s flocks, since it is forbidden to count Jews, for it is stated concerning them: “which will not be counted for multitude” (Gen. 32:12).

5And Saul came as far as the city of Amalek, and he fought in the valley.

הוַיָּבֹ֥א שָׁא֖וּל עַד־עִ֣יר עֲמָלֵ֑ק וַיָּ֖רֶב בַּנָּֽחַל:

and he fought in the valley: (וירב) and he fought in the valley (from ריב, a quarrel). Our Rabbis said: Concerning the valley, he argued and concluded, thus: if for the sake of one soul, the Torah said, “decapitate a calf in the valley” (Deut. 21), how much more for the sake of all these souls. If man has sinned, what have the animals sinned?

6And Saul said to the Kenite, "Turn away and go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them, and you did kindness with all the children of Israel, when they went up out of Egypt." And the Kenites turned away from amidst Amalek.

to the Kenites: the descendants of Jethro, who were residing in the wilderness of Judea, in the south of Arad, who went to Jabez to learn Torah, Arad being Amalek. The Canaanite king of Arad was Amalek, for it is stated: “the dweller of the South” (Num. 21:1), and “Amalek dwells in the Southland” (ibid. 12:29).

with all the children of Israel: for Moses, Aaron, and all the elders of Israel partook of his (Jethro’s) repast (Ex. 18:12). (The Scripture, therefore) considers it as though he had done kindness with all the children of Israel.

7And Saul smote Amalek, from Havilah until you come to Shur, which is in front of Egypt.

9And Saul and the people had pity on Agag, and on the best of the sheep and the cattle, and the fatlings, and on the fattened sheep, and on all that was good; and they did not want to destroy them; but everything which was vile and feeble, that they utterly destroyed.

and the fatlings: (Heb. ‘vehamishnim.’) It has no likeness (to any other word in the Scriptures). These are the fatlings, and I say that the expression of ‘mishnim’ is like ‘kesef mishneh’ (double money Gen. 43:15) because they are doubled over with flesh and fat. Similarly, (we explain:) “And the ox which was fattened (sheni) seven years.” (Jud. 6:25).

vile and feeble: (נמבזה) like נבזה (despised), and the ‘mem’ is superfluous.

10And the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,

יוַֽיְהִי֙ דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֔ה אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹֽר:

11"I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me, and he has not fulfilled My words." And it distressed Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.

I regret: A thought has arisen in my heart concerning the kingdom of Saul, whom I have appointed king.

12And Samuel arose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told to Samuel, saying, "Saul has come to Carmel, and behold, he is setting up a place for himself, and he passed and went down to Gilgal."

he is setting up a place for himself: He is building an altar for himself. That is the altar referred to concerning Elijah, “And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down.” Jonathan however, renders: and behold, he is setting up there a place for himself, to divide the spoils.

13And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "May you be blessed of the Lord; I have fulfilled the word of the Lord."

15And Saul said, "They brought them from the Amalekites, for the people had pity on the best of the sheep, and the oxen, in order to sacrifice to the Lord your God: and the rest we have utterly destroyed."

are you not the head of the tribes of Israel: Jonathan renders: The tribe of Benjamin crossed the Reed Sea at the head of the people, as it is said: “Benjamin, the youngest, rules over them” (Ps. 68: 28).

18And the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, and you shall utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and you shall wage war against them until they destroy them.'

but you flew: (ותעט,) like ותעף (and you flew), an expression relating to עיט, bird of prey (Gen. 15:11).

20And Saul said to Samuel, "Yes, I did hearken to the voice of the Lord. I did go on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and I brought Agag, the king of Amalek alive, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

the best of the ban: (ראשית, lit., the beginning), and similarly, “the best of your corn” (Deut. 18: 4), as it is said: “When you separate the best part of it therefrom” (Num. 18:30). Jonathan however, renders: before they banned it.

22And Samuel said, "Has the Lord (as much) desire in burnt offerings and peace-offerings, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than a peace-offering; to hearken (is better) than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim: And like the penalty for idolatry and teraphim, so is the penalty for stubbornness. Jonathan renders: for, as the sin of a people who divine, so is the sin of any man who disobeys the word of the Lord; and as the sins of a nation who has strayed after idols, so is the sin of any person who adds to the words of a prophet.

stubbornness: An expression of adding, and similarly, (Gen. 36:11) He prevailed upon him (ויפצר). He spoke many words to convince him.

24And Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I transgressed the Lord's command, and your words, for I feared the people, and I hearkened to their voice.

and he seized the skirt of his robe: According to the simple interpretation, the implication is that when Samuel turned to go away from following Saul, Saul seized the skirt of Samuel’s robe, since Saul was entreating him to return until he would prostrate himself in Gilgal, where the tent of meeting had been. In Midrash Aggadah, however, Amoraim differ on this point. Some say that Saul tore Samuel’s robe, and some say that Samuel tore Saul’s robe, thereby giving over to him this sign, that whoever would sever the skirt of his robe would reign in his place. And that is what Saul said to David on the day that he severed the robe, “I know that you will reign” (infra 24:21).

28And Samuel said to him, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you, today; and has given it to your fellow who is better than you.

And also, the Strength of Israel will neither lie: And if you say, “I shall repent of my sin before Him, it will no longer avail to take the kingdom from the one to whom it was given, for the Holy One, Blessed be He, Who is the Strength of Israel, will not lie by not giving the good to whom He promised to give it.”

30And he said, "I have sinned. Now, honor me now in the presence of the elders of my people, and in the presence of Israel, and return with me, and I shall prostrate myself to the Lord your God."

As your sword bereaved women: to render them veritable widows from their husbands, for you would cut off the membrum virile of the youths of Israel.

And he hewed: (וישסף) He cut him into four pieces. There is no similarity to this word. The Targum renders: ‘ufashah.’ And in our Gemara (i.e., T.B., Bets. 33b) we find: He broke a branch off (‘m’fashah’), and gave us each several sticks, meaning that he split.

34And Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.